Serve Day

Serving Oceanside & Camp Pendleton - June 27th 2009

What are we doing?
On Saturday, June 27, 2008, New Song Community Church (3985 Mission Avenue, www.newsongchurch.com) will be donating 3,000+ man hours of volunteer labor to the City of Oceanside and Camp Pendleton. 600+ New Songers will be constructing, cleaning, and caring for projects in these locations from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Why are we doing this?        
We want to be a great neighbor. New Song's goal is to be a great neighbor to the peoples, institutions and agencies around us. As demonstrated during Firestorm 2007, where we fed and sheltered 600+ fire evacuees, we believe that loving our neighbor means doing things to show our love in practical ways. New Song volunteers serve 20+ agencies on a smaller scale every month. Every once in a while we try to do something on a larger scale, so this year we decided to offer help to some of our largest neighbors.

Churches Used to Be at the Center of Their Communities
During America's frontier days, the church was center of the community. Picnics were held there on Sunday afternoons. School was conducted there Monday through Friday. Weddings and funerals were held there on Saturdays. When a town held an election, citizens met at the church to decide the outcome. When a village started a library, it usually was housed first in the church.  Plays and School Board meetings, Boys and Girl Scout meetings, lectures and symposiums were all held in the local church a century ago.

Today, many cities lament when large parcels of land are bought by churches. After all, that's 20 acres or more taken off the tax rolls. Citizens hope large churches won't locate in their neighborhoods; otherwise, they'll have to deal with the traffic congestion. In most cities, businesses apply for a business permit one time, while churches have to apply for "conditional use permits" every five years. Why? Because churches are no longer perceived as beneficial to the communities they serve.

We're working to change that by serving various social sectors, ranging from Marines to unwed mothers to gangs and the under-resourced. One day we hope that the city of Oceanside will think of us as a great asset, one of the best contributors to our city's prosperity. In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world... let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."  Our hope is that lots of people who haven't appreciated the churches near them will begin to thank God for these churches and what they do. We'd like to lead the way in helping churches become great neighbors in their communities.

For more information call our office at 760-560-5000 or email daniel@newsongchurch.com